1 Kings 3 - Introduction

1 Kings 3:1 to 1 Kings 4:34. Early Days, Reign, and Wisdom of Solomon. The sources of this section are various, and the arrangement of the narrative in the LXX should be noticed. There are (a) a statistical account of Solomon s reign, referred to, apparently in 1 Kings 11:41, as the book of the acts of Solomon; (b) a number of narratives about this reign; (c) several Deuteronomic additions e.g. 1 Kings 3:6; 1 Kings 3:14, etc.: and (d) some very late passages, possibly originally explanatory notes. The history of Solomon's reign really extends from 1 Kings 3:1 to 1 Kings 11:43, and the sources throughout are practically the same, with a special one on the Temple. The LXX has a different arrangement and some long additions, which, however, are as a rule only repetitions from other parts of the section belonging to Solomon, Two of the longest are found after 1 Kings 2:35 and 1 Kings 2:46. The Chapter s also are somewhat differently arranged, and especially 1 Kings 4 and 1 Kings 5.